Recent headlines make clear that sexual harassment is a serious problem in our society. It has also been a focus of attention on school campuses. Since the adoption of Title IX, colleges and universities, as well as other educational institutions, … Read more

Earlier this month in the city of Pittsburg, Kansas, a group of curious student journalists raised serious questions about the credentials of their newly hired principal, Amy Robertson. According to the Kansas City Star, Robertson had received 100 percent … Read more

At its meeting on April 5, 2017, the State Board of Education voted to adopt the March 29, 2017 recommendation of the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC) concerning the use of state mastery test data in educator evaluation plans. As … Read more

It has been nearly five years since the Connecticut General Assembly adopted Public Act 12-116 titled An Act Concerning Educational Reform, and most importantly, made changes to Section 10-151b regarding the teacher evaluation process. Changes to Section 10-151b provide that … Read more

On June 29, 2016, the Teacher Retirement Board (“TRB”) issued new guidance concerning the reemployment of retired teachers. One of the new and significant guidelines for post-retirement employment concerned the application of federal rules to qualified pension plans. Specifically, TRB … Read more

Recently, a federal district court in Texas sided with Texas and several other states that challenged federal guidance instructing schools to accommodate transgender students under federal anti-discrimination laws. The preliminary injunction, issued on the eve of a new school year, … Read more

On June 29, 2016, the Teacher Retirement Board (“TRB”) issued new guidance concerning the reemployment of retired teachers. One of the new and significant guidelines for post-retirement employment concerned the application of federal rules to qualified pension plans. Specifically, TRB … Read more

On June 17, 2015, Connecticut’s Attorney General issued an opinion concerning the “statutory limits on the compensation provided to reemployed teachers (including superintendents and other administrators) pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat.§ 10-183v(a).” Based on his analysis of the language of … Read more

The issue of disciplining employees for their use, or more accurately, misuse of social media is one that is frequently in the headlines, and this is never more true than when it involves an educator. Recently the New Jersey State … Read more

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit dismissed a teacher’s claim that the school district employer failed to provide her with statutory due process when it reduced her full-time position to half-time, holding that the reduction in … Read more

Students are not the only ones who can be subject to discipline because of social media; their teachers can get into trouble too. Recently the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania rejected a teacher’s first amendment … Read more

Recent years have brought a considerable amount of activity among the states in the areas of teacher tenure and reduction in force. Although the Connecticut General Assembly has not yet taken action in these areas, understanding what action has been … Read more

Across the county, states are implementing new teacher evaluation systems which rely upon student results on state standardized tests to evaluate teacher performance. These new systems are facing political and legal challenges from teacher groups who object to these new … Read more

For anyone who has been involved in the collective bargaining process for a teachers’ contract, they are fully aware of the scope and extent of contractual language concerning work rules. Areas such as hiring, layoffs, class size, preparation time, duties, … Read more

A teacher who used a school-issued laptop computer to view pornography did not commit acts sufficient to justify his termination, according to an Ohio appeals court which upheld a trial court’s reversal of the Strasburg-Franklin Board of Education’s termination of … Read more

A board of education serving as a review panel in a teacher termination matter need not review all of the evidence presented to the independent hearing officer, according to the Supreme Court of Wyoming.

A high school teacher in Michigan has filed suit in federal court against Arbor Public Schools after the school district ordered her to undergo a psychological examination as a condition for continuing her employment.

A tenured teacher who was laid off due to budget cuts brought an action in Superior Court against her board of education for breach of contract. The court held that an individual employee lacked standing to enforce the provisions of … Read more

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has held that an arbitrator’s decision to reinstate a teacher to the classroom after finding he was guilty of inappropriately touching seventh grade female students during academic instruction was not rationally derived from the relevant collective … Read more

On November 30, 2012 at 1:00 p.m., Attorneys Jessica Ritter and jsoufer will examine teacher and student use of social media and social networking, and the intersection of individual rights with the school’s authority to regulate the school environment. During … Read more

On Wednesday, June 27, 2012, the State Board of Education approved guidelines which will link student performance to teacher evaluations. Under the new guidelines, a portion of a teacher’s evaluation will be based on student standardized test scores and student … Read more

Public Act No. 12-116 sections 39 and 40 eliminate the requirement that professional certificate holders complete 90 CEUs every five years in order to renew their certificates, effective July 1, 2012. Instead, effective July 1, 2013, all certified employees are … Read more

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